Christmas Cheer!
by Mariko6
Summary: Christmas is here and it's recognized by all, except one apartment. A fight breaks out between Colin and Dr. Garrets, and it's up to Tory to save Colin from the cold winter before it's too late! TxC R&R! Ch. 5 is up! Secrets will be revealed!
1. Christmas cheer and a Problem

Well, this is my first OffBeat fanfic. A little off season, but I didn't want to wait. I love these characters so much!

Summary: Christmas is here and it's recognized by all, except one apartment. A fight breaks out between Colin and Dr. Garrets, and it's up to Tory to save Colin from the cold winter before it's too late!

Pairings: TxC

Disclaimer: I do not own OffBeat or any of it's characters. Though, I wish I did.

Chapter 1: Christmas cheer and a Problem

December 24th, 11:32pm.

The streets were empty tonight, except for the every now and then, last minute shopper. Tonight was peaceful, the rain falling and hitting the ground loudly. A few more degrees cooler, and that rain could turn into snow.

Young Tory Blake sat in his bedroom by his window, leaving his mother and neighbor, Paul, to 'drink and be merry' as adults do on Christmas Eve. He really didn't get what was so great about Christmas. All the presents and the wrappings and the eggnog made a mess that he would have to clean up later that day anyway. The only thing good about it was that Tory now had an excuse to get Colin a present.

Speaking of presents. The red-head looked to his desk where two presents sat. One was from Mandy, wrapped in pink and tied with multicolored bows, and the other was for Colin, wrapped in blue paper, imprinted with snowflakes with a little, gold bow on one of the corners.

A smile graced Tory's lips when he looked back out the window, at Colin's apartment, watching the regular lights flicker on and off as the residence left rooms and entered another. A window at the top of the apartment building suddenly lit up with something other than florescent lights. The shadow of a small pine tree, decorated with a few different colored lights, told Tory that Colin was also celebrating Christmas.

A few moments of happiness passed over the entire neighborhood, and it almost seemed as if the happiness couldn't be overcome... almost. As soon as Tory had closed his eyes, his chin resting on the window sill, the sound of breaking glass and popping bulbs caught his attention. He looked in Colin's window again, the christmasy glow gone and the regular florescent lights on, letting two shadows dance across the curtained window.

Panic took over as Tory lifted his head off the window sill, his eyes wide, daring not to close so he didn't miss any important details. Soon, the shadows left the room, but the light stayed on. More breaking glass, voices calling, angrily yelling. The front door burst open and Colin stumbled out, almost falling down the stairs.

"You better run, Colin! Stay out there until you've learned your lesson!" Dr. Garrets words were deafening, but Colin seemed to ignore them as he ran as fast as he could toward the park, a few blocks away.

Tory jumped off his bed and ran out of his room, passed his half drunk mom and neighbor, and out the front door, into the cold rain that threatened to beat him into the ground. He made sure that Dr. Garrets wasn't around before running to the park, after Colin. He had to find out what happened, and more importantly, he had to make sure that Colin was alright.

R&R please! The more reviews I get, the more chapters I'll make, ok? Also, constructive criticism is welcomed. NO FLAMES! Thanks!


	2. Relapse and Rage

Ok! Thanks to those who reviewed glomps I think I feel like writing another chapter!

Airatainted- Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like that it's a Christmas fic, but I can't tell you what's gonna happen, since I don't exactly know yet myself, so just keep reading and whatever happens will happen, right?

Anyway, onto formalities!

Summary: Christmas is here and it's recognized by all, except one apartment. A fight breaks out between Colin and Dr. Garrets, and it's up to Tory to save Colin from the cold winter before it's too late!

Disclaimer: (see Chapter 1)

Pairing: TxC

Chapter 2: Relapse and Rage

December 24th, 11:38pm.

Tory jumped off his bed and ran out of his room, passed his half drunk mom and neighbor, and out the front door, into the cold rain that threatened to beat him into the ground. He made sure that Dr. Garrets wasn't around before running to the park, after Colin. He had to find out what happened, and more importantly, he had to make sure that Colin was alright.

The rain beat down mercilessly on the little genius, but he didn't care, he was only worried about Colin and his reaction to the extremely cold weather. Tory could feel the temperature dropping, and if his notes were correct, Colin usually had a relapse when the temperature dropped.

"Colin! Colin!" He called out as he neared park, but he didn't get a response. A mental smack -which he had been getting quite often lately- came almost automatically. Of course Colin wouldn't answer. He was either scared to death of the doctor finding him or... in the middle of a relapse! With that in mind, Tory raced to the park, desperately looking for his raven-haired proj-classmate.

His feet were beginning to hurt, the rain was becoming blinding, and to top it all off, he was starting to realize that going out into the rain in his pajamas was a bad idea. The wet grass shifted under his feet, making him slip and fall into the mud, but he got up quickly, looking around the area for Colin. Finally, he saw a figure on the ground, shaking uncontrollably, and approached it. His heartstrings pulled so hard at the sight of the pathetic creature, he feared that they would tear. Carefully and silently, Tory put his hand on Colin's arm.

"Colin, it's me, Tory. Please get up! We have to get you out of this rain. You can come to my house if you want. I'll take care of you, just get up!" Colin's breath was labored, coming out in shallow, short bursts as he tried to catch his breath from both running and the relapse. The shorter boy tried to speak, but he could feel the cold darkness tugging at his soul as it was. He needed to rest, but he wanted to keep running.

Tory stood up, pulling Colin up with him and to a big tree nearby, next to the small lake which was frozen over with thin ice. He leaned Colin against the tree and sat down next to him, staying close to try and keep them both warm, but they were both soaked, so it didn't work very well. He glanced at Colin, who seemed to be falling in and out of consciousness.

"Hey! Stay with me here, don't fall asleep yet." Tory pleaded, kneeling up and shaking Colin's shoulders.

"It's... warm..." Colin replied between breaths, opening his eyes slightly to look at Tory, "Go... away..."

Tory shook his head, "I can't... I can't leave you here."

Rage suddenly filled Colin, blinding his usually calm, logical mind. He jumped up and grabbed at Tory's throat, "I SAID GO AWAY! Leave me here, leave me alone, stop following me!" His fragile chest heaved from the yelling, pushing his body over it's limit and beyond. Tory wanted to calm his friend, to stop his madness, but darkness was creeping into his vision from the corners of his eyes.

Just before Tory passed out, his neighbor, Paul batted Colin over the head with an umbrella just hard enough to knock him unconscious and get him off Tory. The last thing Tory felt and saw was Colin's grip loosening around his neck and Paul's face above his own.

"Tory... worried... wake... hey!" Was all that the young boy heard before everything went dark.

OK! There's the second chapter! Surprised? Yeah, me too. Hehe. That was definitely different than what I had originally pictured happening. The monster inside Colin is being revealed! lol, kidding, I've just always wanted to say that. Anyway, R&R please!


	3. The Death Glare and the Little White Lie

Wow, third chapter already! I think this is the farthest I've gone in any of my stories, lol. Thanks again to Airatainted for the sweet review, it's always awesome to see that someone likes my stories

Summary: Christmas is here and it's recognized by all, except one apartment. A fight breaks out between Colin and Dr. Garrets, and it's up to Tory to save Colin from the cold winter before it's too late!

Disclaimer: (See Chapter 1)

Pairing: TxC

Chapter 3: The Death Glare and the Little White Lie

December 24th, 11:47pm.

Just before Tory passed out, his neighbor, Paul batted Colin over the head with an umbrella just hard enough to knock him unconscious and get him off Tory. The last thing Tory felt and saw was Colin's grip loosening around his neck and Paul's face above his own.

"Tory... worried... wake... hey!" Was all that the young boy heard before everything went dark. Paul quickly checked over both Tory and Colin for any injures, and picked them up, laying one over one of his shoulders, and the other on his other shoulder. As carefully as possible, Paul opened the umbrella and held it above them as he walked through the park, back toward the house.

It only took him a few minutes to get back to the house, but the boys were heavy and he hadn't done much weight lifting lately, so he was pretty tired when he got to the house, and wasn't very sure that he'd be able to get up the stairs with them both. He looked across the street as the door to Colin's apartment opened, revealing a very tired, stressed, and frustrated Dr. Garrets. It was only a few seconds, but it felt like hours as Paul and Dr. Garrets stared into each other's eyes, as if a battle of wills was taking place.

"Thank you for bringing him back. He's hasn't been himself lately, so I'd appreciate you handing him over to me." The doctor came down the steps, an umbrella keeping the rain from touching him. Paul was about to move to go across the street, but he felt Colin's hand grab a fist-full of his shirt.

His voice was quiet, and a bit hoarse from yelling before, "Please... don't let him near me... please..." Once again, the frail boy fell into unconsciousness, but his grip on Paul's shirt stayed strong. Paul shook his head and smiled kindly.

"Actually, I was hoping that we could have Colin over for a while. You know, take him off your hands for a few hours to give you some time to yourself on this wonderful night."

"You-" The doctor could tell something was going on, that Paul knew more than he seemed to know. He raised a hand to his mouth and cleared his throat, "You're welcome to take him for a while... but tomorrow morning, I expect to see him at my doorstep." With that, the doctor turned and went back inside. Paul sighed with relief, having been fearing for his life for a few seconds.

The door to Tory's place opened and his mother burst out, a heavy jacket around her, the hood tossed hastily over her head, "Tory! Oh God, Tory! Is he ok! What happened to him? And what happened to poor Colin?" She held out her arms as she came down the stairs, taking Colin off of Paul's shoulder so that he could get up the stairs easier with only Tory, "Come on, hurry! This one is already burning up."

Paul nodded and quickly ascended up the stairs and into the house, "Yeah, Tory's feeling a bit warm as well."

For now, Ms. Blake was pretty happy that she had a big bed, so she could settle both boys on it. Even before they hit the bed, Tory's mom was already taking their soaked shirts off. She left the two boys in Paul's care for a few minutes to go get some towels, so Paul worked on getting the rest of their clothes off.

"Here we go! Watch out!" What seemed to be a pile of walking towels came into the room, barely fitting through the door frame. She dropped them on the floor and threw one at Paul, "Start drying Colin, please." Paul nodded and began drying Colin's chest and arms, but stopped for a minute to examine a few small cuts and bruises.

"What's this? Signs of abuse or heavy sports?" He gently touched around, feeling for other injuries, finding only a few more. Colin shifted uncomfortably under Paul's nimble fingers.

He suddenly awoke, batting Paul's hands away, "Get away!" He called as he tried to push himself away from Paul, only succeeding in tumbling over Tory and off the bed on the other side.

Tory groaned and opened his eyes, rubbing his chest, "Ouch, what just landed on me?" He said tiredly, looking over the side of the bed as he sat up. The next thing he saw made him feel wide awake.

Colin was sitting, rolled into a ball against the wall, hiding his eyes under his hair and behind his knees. His breathing was slightly labored and tears were pouring down his face from wide, scared eyes. Both Paul and Ms. Blake ran to the other side of the bed and kneeled in front of Colin, who seemed to not be completely awake from what seemed to be a nightmare. Ms. Blake scooted forward, "Colin? Colin, it's ok. You're safe here, it was just a bad dream, k?"

Almost immediately, Colin jumped at Ms. Blake and clung to her like a scared child. he hadn't realized that it was Tory's mom, what he had seen was the face of a woman with blue eyes and raven black hair like his over the face of Tory's mom. The brunette mother held Colin sweetly, stroking his hair and whispering sweet, comforting words into his ear. After a few moments, Colin's death grip loosened and released as he fell back asleep.

"Is he ok?" Tory asked, once again feel tired. His mom nodded and stood up, still holding the sleeping boy in her arms.

"I'm gonna put him in your bed, ok, Tory? It's easier than trying to get him into the top bunk."

"Sure." Tory laid back onto the bed and closed his eyes, but was kept from going to sleep when Paul lifted him off the bed.

The free-loader smiled, "Two things, kid. One, you need to dry off before you go to sleep again, and two, as payment for saving your ass back there, you owe me two lunches and your chinese leftovers from yesterday."

Tory grimaced and stuck his tongue out, "Get out of my house, mooch. No one asked you to help." He grabbed a towel and rubbed his hair roughly to get the water out, then down his arms and legs. After that, he ran into his room and watched as his mother pulled the sheets over his half naked classmate and rubbed his hair with a towel.

"Good. Tory, keep an ear out for your friend tonight ok? He may have a fever-induced nightmare later... if he's anything like you." She giggled and walked out of the room, patting Tory's head and kissing his cheek, "Now get warm and go to sleep."

The red-headed genius nodded and began to climb up the ladder before looking at his mom and smiling, "Love ya', mom. Thanks for the help, and please make sure that Paul gets his leftovers." He watched her wave as she closed his bedroom door, giggling as she walked away. Tory flopped onto the top bunk and pulled the sheets over his legs, already feeling warmer. Sleep tugged at him for a few minutes before he let the warm feeling wash over his mind and take his consciousness.

Wow! The chapters keep getting longer, don't they? Anyway, please R&R so I feel good about writing another chapter. Oh yeah, if something isn't spelled right or doesn't make sense, please tell me so I can fix it, k? Thanks a bunch my friends!


	4. Snow and a Christmas Wish

Fourth chapter! Yay! Thanks to those who reviewed. Hopefully, Jen Quick, if she reads these fanfics in her free-time, will like it as well

Airatainted- Oh my goodness! You are my first and most loyal fan, thank you for reading and sticking with the story! And yes, Paul does totally rock.

L.O.T.S.- Yes, they be sick ;; And as you wish, I shall update very soon!

And as formalities...

Summary: Christmas is here and it's recognized by all, except one apartment. A fight breaks out between Colin and Dr. Garrets, and it's up to Tory to save Colin from the cold winter before it's too late!

Disclaimer: (See Chapter 1)

Pairing: TxC

Chapter 4: Snow and a Christmas Wish

December 25, 2:26am.

With a yawn and a groggy groan, Tory sat up, making sure not to hit his head on the ceiling. Down the ladder he slid to go to the bathroom. After about 6 minutes, he returned, feeling more awake. He glanced at his window at the figure wrapped in a blanket, that was leaning on the window sill. Tory wanted to say something, so he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Colin seemed to glow as he watched little fluffy puff balls fall from the sky.

"It's beautiful... the snow, I mean..." Colin said softly, looking back at Tory, then back at the window. The red-head climbed onto the bed and leaned on the window sill next to Colin, "If I wasn't so cold, I would go out there."

"Yeah, I think we both have small fevers-" Tory placed his hand on Colin's forehead for a second, "Well, more you than me... no wonder you're so cold! But you're right, it is really pretty." He turned and put his back against the sill, sighing, "Why are you up this late anyway?"

Colin looked down at Tory and answered simply and truthfully, "Bad dream. Aren't you cold?"

"A little."

"..."

"What's wrong? You ok, Colin?" He got up on his knees as he watched Colin grimace and grab at his chest. Suddenly, he began leaning toward the head of the bed, his eyes seeming to roll into the back of his head. Acting purely on instinct, Tory reached out, wrapping one arm around Colin's shoulders, and the other his head to protect it from hitting any of the bars at the head of the bed, "Colin! Hey!"

The raven-haired boy opened his eyes, feeling himself pressed against something warm, "Sorry... I-I don't know what just happened..." This reminded Tory of when he was walking home from the library with Colin, and he collapsed. He figured that he had gotten used to the boy falling over all the time.

Tory placed his hand on Colin's forehead and quickly pulled it away, "Colin, you're temperature is really high, you have to lay back down, ok?" As soon as Colin nodded, Tory leaned over, Colin still in his arms, and gently laid him down, then proceeded to get off the bed, but Colin held Tory's wrist.

"Sorry, but could you... would you stay with me for a little while? It's really cold." Colin glanced away from Tory, letting go of his wrist and turning over, facing away from Tory, "N-Nevermind... forget it." He felt his cheeks heat up, knowing that he just made himself look like such a sissy. First, he had a relapse in front of Tory when he was pushed into a locker, then he cried like a baby, and now he was asking Tory to sleep in the same bed as him! What else could go wrong!

A smiled graced the genus' lips before he sat on the bed, "Well, are you gonna scoot over or just lay there?" Colin's eyes opened wide as he looked back at a smiling Tory.

"Really?"

"Why not? I'm cold too. And it's what friends are for... keeping each other comfortable, right?" Tory pulled the sheets up and scooted in as Colin pushed himself to the wall so his friend could adjust to the lack of elbow room, "Well, goodnight!" Tory said gleefully before closing his eyes and quickly falling into sleep.

The raven-haired classmate gave a small smile and closed his eyes, but opened them a minute later to gaze at Tory's peaceful face, "I wish you looked as happy at school as you do now... it may be contagious." He looked behind himself at the window and feel asleep to the mysterious sound of snow bells.

A few minutes passed before Tory's room door opened and his mother and Paul peeked in, "Aww, they're so cute!" His mom whispered happily, "Just look at them..." She walked in, Paul following close behind. His mischievous grin glowed through the darkness as he took one of Tory's arm and placed it over Colin's shoulder, "Paul, you know that's not nice."

"Yeah, but it seems like it was meant to be, doesn't it?" Paul and Ms. Blake looked at his quick, but efficient work and smiled at how natural it looked, "I wish we had some presents for Colin... poor kid."

Ms. Blake looked out the door and gasped, "Paul... I think we do now." He looked out of the window at the new pile of blue and gold wrapped presents, all labeled 'For: Colin, From: Saint Nicholas'. The two adults smiled at each other and looked out the window and watched something small fly through the sky high above the city, then they turned and left the room after pulling the covers over Tory and Colin.

When they woke up, there would be a happy surprise waiting for both of them. All they had to do now was relax and sleep well.

There we go! Chapter four is finished! I hope you guys like this chapter. I thought it was a little sappy and almost decided to throw it out, but I don't want you guys to have to wait too long for the next chapter grin R&R and tell your friends Thanks my friends!


	5. Presents and A Secret Revealed!

Hey everyone, sorry for not updating for so long. First, my muse seemed to have disappeared, then I got grounded, but I'm back and ready to humiliate the two teenage classmates coughloverscough Thanks to all of you who reviewed my story, that always makes me feel good to know that people like it!

LOTS- It's ok! Even though that outburst was creepy, it was cute, so we still love you

Airatainted- Yes, Paul is being very considerate, lol! And since I still believe in Saint Nick, I do believe it was him. Tell your friend to get an account, it's free!

Wonder1440- Yes, it took me a while to figure out a good way of putting that line, but it seems that I did a pretty good job

Kyonkichi89- Ah typos... mean little things. I'll look over chapter one and try and find them. Hehe... I'm actually not sure what's in the presents, but I have a few ideas of what could be there.

And for the space taking formalities:

Summary: Christmas is here and it's recognized by all, except one apartment. A fight breaks out between Colin and Dr. Garrets, and it's up to Tory to save Colin from the cold winter before it's too late!

Disclaimer: (See Chapter 1)

Pairing: TxC

Chapter 5: Presents and A Secret Revealed!

December 25th, 8:12am.

After a moment of nostalgically falling in and out of sleep, Tory yawned and opened his eyes. It took him a moment of actually waking up before he realized where his arm was.

"Gah!" He pulled his arm away, trying to remember how he had gotten in the same bed with Colin. Unfortunately, before he could think of why he was in Colin's bed, he had to remember how he got on the floor. He sat up and rubbed his head, taking a quick look at the ever-sleeping Colin.

Suddenly, the bedroom door opened and Paul and Ms. Blake stormed in, smiling and holding a hot cocoa mug in each hand, "Merry Christmas!" The two adults said together.

"Hey, Sweety, hurry and wake up Colin. We're about to eat and open our presents!" She handed Tory a mug of hot cocoa, "That's for you, hun."

"Morning, mom. Morning, Paul." Tory said grogily, taking the mug gratefully. The cocoa was hot against his tounge and throat, but he just cringed, feeling it burn for a few seconds. he turned to the bed and placed his hand on Colin's shoulder, "Colin! Wake up now, it's Christmas!"

After being shaken a bit, Colin opened his eyes and was immediately met with a mug of hot cocoa from Paul, and Tory's tired face, "Um... good morning." He said softly, looking and smelling the chocolate drink, "What is it?"

Noone could believe what they just heard. Colin didn't know what hot cocoa was? Every kid had heard about it, hadn't they? Tory opened his mouth to say something, but Paul got to it first, "It's a chocolate drink. Pretty hot, so be careful. Blow on it before drinking it or it'll burn your mouth."

"Chocolate? Wow! I've only seen the solid kind of chocolate. Dr. Garrets doesn't like sweets, so I only get it when my teachers pass it out, and sometimes on Valentine's day from a girl or two." Colin smiled and looked up at Tory, who just seemed to stare, "Did I say something wrong?"

Tory laughed, "No! Not at all! I've just never heard you talk so much!" This made Colin blush, which made everyone else laugh. Ms. Blake finally pulled herself together before she spilled her drink.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat so we can open our presents!" She left the room, bekoning all the boys to follow her. Tory and Paul followed, but Colin stayed on the bed, the sheets still covering his middle. Tory stopped and looked back.

"What's up, Co-Oh... you need some clothes, huh?" The red-head smiled and walked over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of blue, flannel pajamas and throwing it at Colin, who caught it and quickly slipped into them, almost melting into how good they felt. The shorter boy grabbed his mug and walked out of the room with Tory to the kitchen, where the table was. Both boys were staring in awe at the piles and piles of presents near the lit up tree.

A tap on his hand made Tory look at Colin, "Tory. Your family is amazing... I wish I could celebrate Christmas like this!"

"You can."

"Not really. Dr. Garrets hates Christmas and doesn't want me celebrating-"

"He meant here, dear." Ms. Blake interrupted and pointed to the piles of presents, "A lot of those are for you!" She giggled as Colin's face brightened and a small smile made it's way to his lips.

As soon as breakfast was over, Tory and Colin jumped from thier seats and to the tree. They took a seat on the floor and looked back at Paul and Tory's mom like anxious little kids. The two adults sat on the couch and began a short duet of "Silent Night", but it only lasted about a minute or two and then presents seemed to fly every which way and flashes from cameras lit up the room.

Colin received a snow white, fluffy turtleneck and scarf that would be perfect for keeping him warm and a pair of blue snow boots and thick blue jeans. Also, he got painting materials and two sketch books, a large one and a small one, along with pencils and caligraphy pens. There were plenty other presents, like books, other kinds of clothes, a "How to Study for Dummies" book, a cat calender, and a big book about the most common animals that people have for pets. many other presents were scattered around him, but they were small.

Similar to Colin, Tory got clothes for cold weather and books. He didn't have as many as Colin, but he didn't mind. All the presents Colin was getting now was making up for all the years he wasn't able to get any presents.

Kitchen supplies and make-up went to Tory's mom and Paul got college supplies, including expensive books for his upcoming classes in February.

Now everyone was happy with what they got, but Colin didn't show it as much as everyone else did. He sat there, smiling and holding his fluffy, white turtleneck. Ms. Blake put her hand on Colin's head, "Go try it on!" After a minute, Colin walked back into the room shyly, wearing the jeans, turtleneck, and boots. Everyone clapped and approved of the outfit.

"Well everyone, sorry to leave so abruptly, but I have a project due the day we get back to school and I need to find space for everything I got from you guys!" Paul began picking up his things, "Thanks, all of you for the great time. I'll come by later today, ok?" He smiled at Colin, "Hope you'll still be here as well, you seem like a nice kid." With that, he walked out the door and up to his own place.

"Colin, come with me. I have a present for you." Tory and Colin went back into the bedroom quickly, "Close your eyes!" Colin sat on the bed and closed his eyes, readying himself for whatever was to come. A box was placed on his lap, so he opened his eyes and smiled at the nicely wrapped box. He quickly unwrapped it to find a cardboard box. The box top was lifted to reveal a medium sized photo album that was dark blue with white, puffy snow flakes all over it.

Colin's smile widened and he hugged the present, "It's great! Thank you, Tory, I wish I had something to give you..." The only response Colin received was a poke in the side from Tory, which coxed a small chuckle from the blue-haired boy.

"You... you're ticklish?" For some reason, Colin saw a slight resemblance between Tory and Paul when he grinned that way. Colin put the photo album down and scooted away from Tory, a nervous smile on his face.

"T-Tory... don't be silly, I'm n-not-AH!" The poor boy yelped as he was tackled, but his cries turned to laughter as Tory's fingers traced patterns on his sides. Tory loved tickling Colin, mostly because he had never seen Colin laugh so he wanted it to last for as long as possible, and also, he now had a reason to be close to Colin without seeming too suspicious.

From across the street, one of the curtains of one of the windows was open about an inch, just enough for Dr. Garrets to see into Tory's room and watch the two roll around on the bed, tickling each other, "It's sick... this is not how I've raised him... Colin will be punished when he returns, and this time, you'll help me..." He turned to face a man half covered in shadows, "Won't you?"

"Of course-" The man came from the shadows, a mischievous grin glowing on his face. It was Paul! Though, his hair was slicked back, and he wasn't wearing his glasses, "Father."

Ack, crazy ending! Please don't kill me, Paul-lovers! I mentioned a surprise to someone... so yeah, this was the surprise. Is it too non-suspensfull? Cheesy? Please tell me in your wonderful reviews, and tell your friends too please. Thank you to all of my loyal fans! glomps


	6. Emotion and Tears

Hey guys, I'm backies! Sorry for the long absence. First, I had writer's block, and then my family had to move. So, now that everything has calmed down a bit, I thought that it would be a good time to start writing again. I'm actually not sure what this next chapter is going to be about, so blame all weirdness on my being spontaneous. Anyway, to the replies of reviews!

Lunar Chasmodai: -is poked- Wish granted!

Wonder1440: Yes, I'm being a non-conformist! And when I first started writing the chapter, I didn't see it coming either ;;

LOTS: Yes, I know... I love Colin as well. Here's your update!

Airatainted: For some reason, it seemed right to run Paul evil. I mean, look at Paul and then look at Dr. Garrets, there's a resemblance! And no, I'm not crazy, I swear! (lol)

Thank you all for reviewing!

Disclaimer: See Ch. 1-5

Pairing: TxC

Chapter 6: Emotion and Tears

December 25th, 12:00pm.

"Well, thanks, Ms. Blake for letting me stay the night. I had a fun time." Colin stood outside the door of Tory's house, smiling shyly at Ms. Blake. He was wearing his new turtleneck, jeans, and boots.

She smiled and patted his head, "Sure thing, Colin, you're welcome anytime." Suddenly, Colin was pulled into a tight hug, "Whenever you need us, we'll be here, ok?"

Colin nodded, blushing. He looked passed Tory's mom, to Tory, who was standing a few feet behind her, kind of glancing at him every now and then.

"Tory?" He blushed again.

"Yeah?"

"Um… see you at school. And thanks for today." His blush deepened.

Tory blushed as well and cleared his throat, "R-Right. You're welcome."

As soon as the front door was closed, Tory's raced to the window and peeked out, watching Colin jump down the stairs, smiling at the 'crunch' sound that the snow made. After looking both ways, the short black haired boy crossed the street and nervously stood in front of the steps to his house. Slowly, and almost painfully, he walked up the steps, no longer enjoying the crunching sounds under his feet. The door swung open and Dr. Garrets stepped out. Words were exchanged and Colin stepped into the house, quickly followed by an angry doctor.

Tory wanted to follow Colin, to stop what he knew was bound to happen, but as smart as he was, he didn't know how.

-Inside Colin's place-

As quickly as possible, Colin raced up stairs, ignoring the yelling of the doctor. He opened and closed the door to his room with just enough time to squeeze through the opening. Immediately, he knew something was wrong. One of his cats was missing, one of the kittens. He darted around the room, looking under his bed, under his desk, in his closet, and everywhere else he could think of, but the kitten was gone.

Colin collapsed on the bed, biting his lip to fight back the tears. A few of his cats jumped onto the bed and cuddled around Colin, and he snuggled against them for comfort. His chest tightened and his breath became labored. He lifted himself off the bed and stood, looking up at the ceiling, trying to calm himself.

His bedroom door swung open, making a loud 'slam' as it hit the wall. Dr. Garrets and Paul stood outside the room, the kitten held by Paul. It mewed sadly, but was ignored. Colin looked at the kitten, a look of horror and surprise on his face.

"Colin... we have to talk." Dr. Garrets said, "I've brought you up as if you were my own, and now look what you've done. Everything I taught you, defied. That Tory boy isn't good for you, and I know how you feel about him. Do you know what that makes you?"

Colin's breaths quickened.

"It makes you gay, Colin. And do you know what that means? You must be taught to repress your emotions… all of them. I don't want you to be gay, straight, or anything of the sort. Love is nothing in the world today." Dr. Garrets put on some plastic gloves and took the kitten from Paul, "Because of your foolish feelings, this kitten will suffer."

The doctor took the kitten's left back leg between his index finger and thumb and stared into Colin's eyes, "You wouldn't…" Tears formed in Colin's eyes, "Don't…"

"It's your fault, Colin." A snap echoed through the room, followed by the kitten's blood curdling cry. Colin took quick deep breaths as adrenaline pumped through his body, bringing his into a relapse. He clutched at his chest, coughing and wheezing, staring into the eyes of the doctor. Tears fell down his cheeks and he stepped to run at Dr. Garrets, but Paul glided into the room. Fist connected with stomach, sending Colin to the ground, hunched over and coughing even more.

Paul lifted Colin to his knees and lifted his head so that he was looking at Dr. Garrets and the kitten, "Colin." Dr. Garrets began, "Emotions are evil. You crying tells me that you need to be taught, and to teach, drastic measures must be taken. If you promise to forget about Tory, then I will spare this cat, but if I see you even looking at Tory, I will do what must be done."

"I…" Colin started, but he coughed, cutting him off. He took a deep breath, "I can't… forget about him…"

"Why not?"

"Because…"

"Because why?"

"I… I love him…"

The doctor grimaced and quickly snapped the neck of the kitten. Colin's breath caught in his throat and he began going into shock. His body fought to get out of Paul's grip as the dead kitten fell to the floor, even though his mind was completely blank.

"Forget about Tory, Colin. It's your fault this happened… it's your fault." Paul whispered into Colin's ear and took a needle from his pocket, "Tory is no one. Emotions are useless and only bring pain." He stuck the needle into Colin's neck and injected a clear liquid into him. Colin stopped fighting, his eyes closed, and his body went limp in Paul's arms.

Gently, Paul lifted Colin and put him on the bed, then stripped him of the clothes he got for Christmas and dressed him in his regular nightclothes. As he left the room, he took the dead kitten and wrapped it in the clothes, then threw them all out.

When Colin woke up, many things would be different.

Sorry, this is a kind of short chapter. I didn't have a lot of time, and I didn't want to go on just yet. I shall torture you guys with this for now ;; R&R! -glomps-


	7. Author's Note

Hey everyone, I'm back up! Sorry for the long wait. I deleted the first author's note because I didn't think it was necessary anymore. So, here's another author's note just in case people are looking at # of chapters. So yeah, chapter six is now labeled chapter six instead of seven. Anyway, I'll delete this author's note in due time when it doesn't seem necessary anymore. Thanks for waiting!


End file.
